Eurovision 2013 (P)Review – Part 20 – UK & Sweden + Total Wrap-up

And now the end is near, here’s part 20 of the run through of this year’s contestants! Will they be beautiful butterflies, or rather moths that have to hide away in the dark?

First of all, a bit of framework for the judging – I’ll be looking at the song, the vocal performance and the stage presentation (or concept of the video if we haven’t seen a stage performance) and I’ll round up by putting them to the DIMI test (do I think it’s Dramatic, Intriguing and/or Modern enough to Include in my iTunes library?). I’ll score the entries from 1 to 5 on each of those points, resulting in a score out of a possible maximum of 20.

5. UK – Bonnie Tyler – Believe in me

The Song: Oh dear, where to start? First off: this is as generic as the next Shania Twain country ballad. The floating insert of the title is perhaps the most catchy part, but even then this is hardly memorable. Secondly: If you’re famous for rockballads, why not go for a rockballad? The tackier, the better I’d say – nobody would mind Total Eclipse Of The Heart 2.0… And finally: really UK? With all that young talent in your music scene with fresh ideas you give us this snoozefest? You really don’t want to win ESC again, do you?
Verdict:The Voice: Smoke another pack of cigarettes dear. This will be even more hoarse than Anna Vissi. Imagine.
Verdict: The Performance: If it’s as boring as the video we’re in for 3 beige minutes. I’m rolling my eyes with anticipation #sarcmark
Verdict:The DIMI test: I am very cross with the powers that be @ BBC. Another has-been that wouldn’t have touched Eurovision with a stick back in the days, but now uses it to try and squeeze out whatever remains of that once beautiful carreer? Downright shameful. This is mocking the Contest and I’d rather have they stay away than spit on it.
Verdict:

PERSONAL TOTAL: 8/20PREDICTION: Bottom 5.

6. Sweden – Robin Stjernberg – You

The Song: This has to be one of the most modern sounding songs in the year’s edition, slipstreaming the current sounds in Britpop – I’m always reminded of Temper Trap when I hear this. The build-up takes its time to get there but when it gets there it delivers big time: the soaring chorus is spot on and the way it explodes in a different way every single time is very effective. Very cleverly written, this.
Verdict:The Voice: When he hits the notes, he hits them well – especially The Big One at the end. We’ve heard several versions of this though, the question remains how he’ll pull it off on the night…
Verdict: The Performance: I am in no way a fan of what we saw at Melodifestivalen: the interpretative dancing feels too forced for me and a less faux-artistic approach would work miracles. Robin is endearing in the way he throws himself onto the song but can come across a bit…intense might be the best expression for it I think. In other words: this needs to get more of a professional feel, rather than looking like it belongs at a talent show at a local school.
Verdict: The DIMI test: I like it. I’m not crazy about it, but I like it.
Verdict:

PERSONAL TOTAL: 12/20PREDICTION: If they manage to get this across then this might well surprise everyone. Can Sweden pull an Ireland? Perhaps. But if it fails it fails big time.

So that’s it!! Without further ado, let’s see what my top 26 would look like right now, almost one month before the Big Event: